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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Confessions from a Heavy Wetter's Mom

Leaks and stinks…the dreaded duo for a cloth diapering mom! I have faced them both and I have conquered! Sounds pretty dramatic right…but if you have faced either of those issues I'm sure you know how I felt. The frustration and feelings of helplessness when dealing with the problem and the amazing feelings of accomplishment and success when you have overcome…these are definitely powerful emotions!

So before I tell you about my conquest, first let me tell you a little about me and the beginning of my fluff journey! I never thought about cloth diapering until my girlfriend told me about it shortly before I got pregnant. She used bumGenius one size diapers and when she showed me how easy (and CUTE) they are I was immediately hooked. At that point in time I didn't really know about all of the options out there and since I was a little overwhelmed and wasn't sure where to learn more I figured I would just follow my girlfriend and stick with the bumGenius. Thankfully between my mom and my girlfriend's mom I was blessed with 18 one-size bg diapers to use once my little girl came along.

Little L is our first baby blessing so my hubby and I decided we would start the first few months using sposies. Looking back I am really glad we made that decision since the first few months were rough for me with breastfeeding and sleeping patterns. Once things started settling down around 3 months I decided I was ready to start using those super cute diapers that had been sitting looking pretty in Little L's room. At first it all went really smoothly. The diapers worked great and washing really wasn't near as hard as I expected it to be. Then a few months went by and my fluff honeymoon was over. (And when I say over I mean I was TOTALLY over it!)

All of a sudden Little L needed her outfits changed multiple times in a day since her dipes were constantly leaking! (And although we had lots of cute outfits to put her in I got super tired of the multiplied laundry!) To top it off the stinks came and boy did they come STRONG! The diaper pail was causing her room to smell like a messy bathroom and every time she would wet her diapers they would smell SO strongly of ammonia. (You know, that nose hair burning smell!) YUCK! Needless to say I drastically reduced the cloth diapers I was using and started using a lot more sposies again.

Then one day I decided I had had it with the stinks and the leaks. I figured there had to be an answer somewhere out there on the world wide web so off to search I went. Turns out there were lots of you out there facing the same problems I had, especially those of you with hard water like me. I had been using All Free and Clear to wash our diapers with vinegar on my last rinse cycle and with our hard water it was NOT cutting it. As I searched blogs (starting with "The Cloth Diaper Whisperer") I saw people raving about Rockin' Green and their new Hard Rock formula. So I ordered a sample and sat back to wait it's arrival.

Once the Hard Rock showed up I proceeded to "Rock the Soak" on my diapers! Then, since the sun was finally showing its face up here in MN I was able to dry them on the line outside (instead of the dark basement). I was so happy with the results! The stink was GONE! WooHoo! The first half of the cloth diaper dastardly duo was conquered! Unfortunately the leaks remained…

So I continued to search the blogs to find my solution to leakage. Finally I realized I had to admit to myself that Little L is a heavy wetter. That's right, I said it…my sweet little princess produces a LOT of pee! So I started changing her a little more often and I made sure I really got her diapers on tight with no gaps (another thing I learned from you fabulous women out here in the cloth diapering world!) I can now proudly say that it has been weeks since my baby girl has leaked! Another foe down for the count! Ah, sweet success!

So there you have the Confessions of a Heavy Wetter's Mom! Hopefully something in here helped or encouraged another mommy out there!

It might sound totally odd, but I've also discovered that for my boys, they leak a lot less wearing a fitted diaper (like a Thirsties Fab Fitted or my fave Little Beetle velour diapers) and a cover. I think because the pee doesn't have to soak through the suedecloth layer to get to the absorbent part and in the meantime possibly leak out the legs or waist...I don't know...but fitteds and covers are my solution when the boys go through a heavy wetting stage.

Thank you for this post! I tried the regular RnG awhile back but wasn't too impressed- I have super hard water and the diapers didn't smell any different (I was expecting banana or cinnamon smelling diapers!). I've sinced switched to Tiny Bubbles, which I like a lot, but they were out of stock @ diapershops when I needed to order more so I wound up getting the RnG Hard Rock. I hope it works just as well for me :-)

Another suggestion for the leaks- use hemp! It's super absorbant and a million times trimmer than MF.

Thanks for the info! I am a new CD mom, and I am very afraid of the ammonia problem. I'm trying to collect as much advice from other CD moms as I can so I know what to do if it happens, so I appreciate your take on it.

I'm leaning toward trying the RnG. It seems to be what everyone recommends. I'm also thinking of trying more natural fibers, as I hear that microterry can be a culprit in the war against ammonia.

I second the hemp recommendation. I use both hemp and microfiber - I use one hemp insert (usually Joey Bunz Premium) and one microfiber insert, on top, and my DS can go for hours with the same diaper. I change him more often at home but when we're out and about, or when he's with grandma, it's really nice that a diaper can last even 5-6 hours!

Thanks for the tips! I recently started using hard rock and, even though the ammonia smell in my diapers is still there, it's getting better. I haven't tried a "Rock a soak" yet, so maybe that would solve the smell.

My DD is such a heavy wetter It drives me insane! After a year of trying every diaper and every insert this world can offer. I finally have my perfect heavy wetter diapers. Organic Bamboo with a Zorb insert and wool cover. I monitor how much DD drinks 2 hours before bedtime and it has really lowered my work load not having to change sheets everyday.

Ok, so got the hard rock down. That plus sun works WONDERS!! My little princess is also a heavy wetter. And a fast one, at that! She LOVES water and as fast as she puts it down, it comes back out. I can keep up with the changes during the day time, but I need a better night time solution. We use a Bum Genius pocket with either a microfiber insert and a loopy do or 2 microfibers and a hemp and she still wakes up w/a wet tummy. Can any of you mamas help me?! You should also know that she is a tummy sleeper and has quite the pot belly. So when she sleeps, her belly pushes the diaper down and back. I've tried making sure that there's plenty of absorbancy up front, making the velcro super tight, snaps.....I don't know what else to do, please help!!!

I have a heavy wetter, too... even sposies can cut the mustard! And to make it worse- I have TWO heavy wetters! These guys wake up with wet clothes almost every morning... Working on a solution right now. :) After 2 years in cloth, you'd think I'd have this figured out by now! LOL

I also have a very pretty little heavy wetter. I have been cloth diapering for a few months, switching what she wears at night around until I found my nighttime solution. I just received my first FuzziBunz Perfect Size Pocket Diaper and this is it!! I have been using it with the insert it comes with paired with a hemp doubler. My daughter is still a night nurser at 18 months, so she has always been soaked in the morning, and with this the pee goes straight to the inserts and the top fleece outer layer is barely damp. I can't suggest trying it enough, I'm so excited to finally have found what she needs.

I hadn't heard of "Rock the Soak" before. Thanks for this article! I don't know if my girl will be a heavy wetter yet (she's still swimming in amniotic fluid). But I will definitely keep these things in mind! Oh, and I also second the hemp recommendation.

I never understood the fleece lining in the pocket diapers. fleece is not an absorbent material. it tends to repel, that's just the nature of its material. I don't know about bum genius but I have used fuzzibuns with no success, and I think this is why.